Sometimes winning is just surviving
by Sashet
Summary: In the 'year that never was' The Doctor has to survive the unwanted attentions of The Master.**** Doctor / Master Slash warning *****


A/N: I took Paul Cornell's advice on how to ocvercome writers block and finally got this story finished!

My thanks to Dr. D for the beta and the twiglets...both of which are greatly appreciated.

Obviously...I don't own Doctor Who ...it belongs to people far smarter than I am!

*************

Sometimes winning is just surviving.

The Doctor couldn't believe it when he regained consciousness and found that not only was he returned to his 'normal' age, but he was fully dressed and the door to the room he was in was wide open.

It had to be a trap he thought, it just had to be. There was no way The Master was just going to let him get up and walk off The Valiant (although strictly speaking it isn't possible to walk off a spaceship, not even for The Doctor) but that wouldn't stop him trying. Carefully he got to his feet testing his limbs and his balance; having being put through the agony of the Lazarus technology again he wanted to make sure there had been no lasting damage and, having decided that he was as well as a man in his 9th century could expect to be, he trod carefully and quietly to the door and peered out into the corridor.

To his continued surprise the corridor was empty, no sign of a living soul in any direction. He strained for any sound, human or machine and was rewarded with only the low whine of the ship's systems keeping them in orbit above the Earth. The complete absence of anything made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, this just wasn't like The Master at all, and as The Doctor stepped out into the corridor and began to move away from his cell, he told himself to be vigilant, very vigilant because there was just something about this whole set-up that didn't ring true.

He reached a junction in the corridors and fishing into the pockets of his coat he rummaged past a boiled sweet, a biro, a ball of string and a clockwork mouse before he found what he was looking for… a bendy tube with a lens inside it…perfect for looking round corners! The corridors in either direction were as empty and silent as the ones he had come from but which one did he choose? One would take him into the depths of the ship where he might find Jack and surely the two of them stood a better chance than he did alone? Jack didn't have the conscience or the qualms that he did about the use of violence, after all why should he, he couldn't die and The Doctor was pretty sure that before one or both of them got off The Valiant violence would play a part. The other would take him to the flight deck and The Master and should probably be avoided, but it would also take him to his TARDIS and if he could get inside her and undo the damage that The Master had wreaked, then she was his and Jack's best way off the ship.

"Sorry Jack," he whispered putting the periscope away and heading towards the flight deck, "just a little longer I promise."

Each corridor he came to was empty and when he dared to steal a glance behind one of the partially open doors the rooms behind them were empty too. He began to wonder if in fact he was the only inhabitant of The Valiant. Had The Master taken the Toclafane and returned to the Earth? But for him to have done that it would mean that the Earth was truly defeated and The Doctor knew, he just felt it in the psychic threads he had woven into the Archangel Network, that wasn't true. The Earth fought on and so the seeming absence of The Master continued to puzzle and worry him.

As he continued his lonely passage through the silent corridors he began to feel the pull of his TARDIS, whatever The Master had done to her hadn't completely destroyed her and The Doctor could now feel her presence at the edges of his awareness and quickened his pace. Certain of his destination he soon found himself at the end of the corridor that led to his beloved TARDIS.

If The Master was going to spring a trap then The Doctor thought that this would be the ideal spot. The Master would know that eventually he would try to reach his ship. Carefully pressing himself against the cool steel walls of The Valiant, The Doctor made his cautious approach to the doors that enclosed his ship. Suddenly it seemed to him that every tiny noise was the impending arrival of The Master and his 'guns for hire' and by the time he got to the doors he was sweating with nerves and still unable to believe the fact that he had got this far without detection.

Wiping his hands on the front of his suit he took a steadying breath and pushed open the doors to the room. They swung silently open and there stood his TARDIS, looking from the outside the same as she ever did, solid and dependable. The Doctor fought down the urge to run to her, partly because he knew that inside she wasn't his any more. The Master had taken her and bent her to his own sick and twisted ends and he knew how hard it would be to see her like that again and partly because at any second he expected his escape to be over and maybe his life too.

The Doctor's long stride took him quickly to the TARDIS and he placed a gentle hand on the outside of the door.

"Hello old girl" he whispered, "did you miss me?" He was saddened that he didn't feel her answer in his body or his mind and with a final look round he tried the door, which swung open to his touch and he hurried inside.

"Well that had to be the easiest escape ever." The Doctor congratulated himself shutting the TARDIS doors and spinning round to face the bastardised remains of his space ship.

"If the least successful." The Master's voice gloated as he stepped from behind the central console a wicked grin splitting his features.

The Doctor spun back to the doors his hand fumbling for the catch as he heard the sound of The Master's laser screwdriver activating and knew in that split second that he was too late. The door was locked and only The Master had the power to unlock it, but he tried the catch in vain anyway.

"It seems that once again I have the upper hand Doctor, only this time you are trapped on the inside with me and not on the outside with your friends to help you. Did you really think that having gone to all that trouble to catch you in the first place I was going to let you escape so easily?"

The Doctor straightened his back and turned to face his tormenter. "I suppose next you'll be telling me that you had this planned all along?"

The Master spun the laser screwdriver in his fingers as he walked towards The Doctor. "Of course I did," he sounded indignant. "I've been watching you from the moment you woke up..oh by the way you should thank me for that."

"For what?"

"For not leaving you as an old man."

"You shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"Why not? It was fun to see you like that, so helpless to stop me from destroying your precocious Earth and its stupid humans, but then you just turned into a whining old man and that wasn't fun at all."

"They're not stupid …and if you still think they are then maybe you aren't as clever as you think."

"Why Doctor, why would you still defend them? You're not one of them, you never will be. To them you'll always be…what...another alien threat? You and I, we are so much better than they could ever hope to be."

"I'd rather be an alien threat than anything like you." He retorted angrily. "And I will find a way off this ship. I will find a way to stop you."

"Maybe, but not today." The Master raised his laser screwdriver. "Today you will do what I command."

"No I won't."

The screwdriver whirred into life and a beam of white hot energy shot from it, hitting The Doctor square in his chest and driving him to his knees with the pain. He grasped at his chest pulling the smouldering, charred fabric of his suit away from his skin, which was blistered and raw. The blossoming heat seemed to spread outwards encompassing his whole body, leaving him shaking and breathless.

In two strides The Master was beside him and with a callous backhanded blow sent The Doctor sprawling onto the harsh metal grating of the TARDIS' floor. He rolled The Doctor onto his back and held him there by grinding his foot into the damaged skin on The Doctor's chest.

"Today you will follow my orders or people will die, people you care about will die. Do you understand me Doctor?"

The Doctor grimaced as The Master applied more pressure to his chest, breaking the fragile skin and nodded his unwilling acceptance.

"Let me hear you say it."

"I understand."

"Use my name." More pressure and The Doctor thought he felt a rib snap, "or this will get a lot worse a lot quicker."

"I understand Master." The Doctor hated to use his adversaries name in this way; it added an unwelcome and unwanted dynamic to the situation.

"That wasn't so hard was it?" The Master lifted his foot from The Doctor's chest and was rewarded with a soft sigh of relief from his captive.

"What do you want?" The Doctor asked.

"Why Doctor I'd have thought that was obvious….I want you."

"You want me to what?"

The Master wasn't sure if The Doctor was really as naive as that question implied. "It appears I'm not making myself clear Doctor. Let me elucidate." He reached out his hand to help The Doctor from the floor, "I...want…you.."

With The Doctor now on his feet The Master swept in and kissed him hard, bruising his lips and leaving them both breathless but for different reasons.

"Clear?" He asked amused by The Doctor's baffled and disgusted look as he pulled away, putting distance between the two of them. "You can't run away from me Doctor, where will you go? The doors are locked and only I have the key."

"I could kill you and take it, take it all back." His hearts ached when he looked at the cruel metal grille that now surrounded the central console, the harsh unforgiving red lighting, the sick sound that came from where the heart of his ship had once been.

"Then kill me." The Master taunted. He had known The Doctor for centuries and knew his threat was empty and hollow, if he could have killed him he would have done so before they ever got to now, but The Doctor wasn't a man of violence (the death of his own race being a rare exception to that self-imposed rule) and they both knew that. "I won't give you another chance Doctor; kill me now whilst you can….if you can."

"I didn't come here to kill you; I came here to help you because we are the only ones left. We are the Last of the Time Lords."

"And whose fault is that? Although I have to say, it was sterling work on your part, to wipe out the two mightiest civilisations the Universe has ever seen and still manage to walk away unscathed."

"Unscathed?" The Doctor's tone was indignant, "I wouldn't say that.. I was…never mind you wouldn't understand."

"Try me, after all I'm at least as clever as you are, look around….you are my prisoner, the Earth is my battleground and the Universe will be my new empire. I'd say that makes me cleverer than even you. I hold all the cards Doctor, all of them."

"Whatever it is you want from me I won't do it, I won't help you. I'd rather die."

"But if you die Doctor then that defeats the whole object of trying to save me and, don't get me wrong I'm not being sentimental here because at times you have been the biggest pain in the ass imaginable, but I don't want to have to kill you. I mean I will, if you push me too far then I will kill you, but just for now I'd rather have you alive."

"Very touching." The Doctor added sarcastically, moving slowly and cautiously away from The Master, trying to get closer to the ways into his ship that might allow him to escape into her labyrinth-like interior.

The Master had seen The Doctor's movements and chosen to ignore them. He was pretty sure he knew what The Doctor's intentions were and he wanted to relish the moment when The Doctor discovered just how complete his devastation of the TARDIS had become. He would let him try and run and then he would make him pay.

The Doctor was as close as he thought he could get to the place where he knew the TARDIS had a door to other rooms, other places without attracting any more attention. He winced as he took a steadying breath and felt the burnt skin on his chest pulling and a sudden flare from his cracked rib. He knew he would only get one chance to escape and he had to be ready.

"Where do you think you are going?" The Master asked almost conversationally. "There's nowhere you can hide from me."

"This is still my TARDIS" The Doctor replied believing that somewhere in the heart of the broken ship there was still a piece of HIS ship, and that it would help him, hide him, change all the rooms to keep him safe until he could find a way to save them both.

"Then escape if you can Doctor but remember what I told you and I'll be waiting for you and for your friends. Now run if you think you can…run Doctor...run!"

Not waiting for The Master to change his mind or to think too long and hard about what he had said The Doctor bolted for the door, pushed through a darkened doorway and fell.

As he tumbled through the blackness of space, a space that he knew had never been there before, The Doctor just had time to realise that The Master was right; there was no escape this time, before he hit the ground with a bone jarring thud and could think no more.

The Doctor's return to consciousness was aided by an unwelcome prod against his damaged rib as The Master's patience with him started to wear thin. He had been hoping for a little more respite so his body could heal itself some more but that was not to be and so with some reluctance he opened his eyes to find The Master leering over him.

A quick inventory of his situation told The Doctor that he had lost his coat and his trainers and gained a handcuff which now secured his left wrist to the metal grating in the console room and a slight feeling of nausea which wasn't solely attributable to the fall. His chest still hurt, although not as badly as before.

"About time too," The Master said coldly not bothering to ask The Doctor how he felt, "I was getting bored waiting for you to wake up."

"Wish I could say I'm sorry."

"Well you're awake now so I think it's time we got down to business don't you?" The Master drew his laser screwdriver. "On your knees Doctor."

The Doctor held his cuffed hand free of the floor and looked quizzically at The Master.

"You'll work something out, now on your knees, I won't tell you again."

With a sigh of resignation The Doctor rolled towards the console and struggled to his knees before twisting around to face The Master. His left arm was pulled uncomfortably down and behind him, the harsh metal of the handcuff digging painfully into his skin.

The Master said nothing just inclined his head to one side and without warning blasted The Doctor with his screwdriver.

If he had thought that the pain that blossomed through his body before was bad it was as nothing compared to the excruciating white hot agony that engulfed him now. His whole body felt as if it were being torn apart cell by cell as the blood seemed to boil inside his veins.

"Stop it…please…" he ground the words out, glancing pitifully at The Master before screwing his eyes shut with the pain and allowing his head to drop.

"Use my name." The Master's voice held just a faint trace of amusement at the agony he was inflicting on his oldest and, once, his dearest friend. He had devised this setting on his screwdriver specifically for The Doctor, he knew just how to cause the maximum amount of pain without doing any permanent damage…. he hoped…. and as he watched The Doctor fight the pain, his body shaking from the effort, he allowed himself a satisfied smile.

"Doctor…" he chided shifting the focus of the beam to an as yet undamaged part of The Doctor's body.

The Doctor could barley hear The Master's voice over the pounding of his double heartbeat and his laboured breathing as he struggled to keep his body functioning in the haze of pain that wrapped itself around him. He could feel the pull of a dark silent place at the edges of his mind and wanted to run to it, to embrace it and yet he knew that if he did then not only would he be lost but so would Jack and Martha and all the other humans battling for their own lives in the devastation of The Master's 'brave new world'.

"Master.. please.. stop…" he could barely form the words, but no sooner were they past his lips then the whine of the screwdriver ceased and the pain began to fade, slowly easing down from its initial crescendo of agony to a manageable ache that The Doctor knew wouldn't last.

"See that was easy wasn't it? All you had to do was ask me properly."

"What was that?" The Doctor asked as the receding pain sent an unexpected shudder through him.

"Oh…" The Master tossed his screwdriver into the air and caught it with a triumphant flourish…"that was a little something I devised just for you Doctor...did you like it?" The Doctor gave his answer with his eyes. "What do you say we try it on…. I don't know…not handsome Captain Jack because he'd just spoil all our fun by insisting on not dying…let me see…ah yes."

The Master spun on his heel "Don't go anywhere Doctor." he quipped as he strode from the console room and out of the TARDIS.

The Doctor held himself together until the doors shut and only then did he allow himself a short sharp Gallifreyan curse as he tried, with no success, to free himself from his restraint. The Master had found some really VERY good handcuffs and The Doctor had to admit that he was stuck fast. Not wanting to waste what little time he might have before The Master returned, The Doctor ran through a quick mental inventory of all his major limbs and organs and found that, despite the earlier onslaught, the only damage seemed to be the broken rib that he had sustained earlier and even that, thanks to a Time Lords regenerative properties, was well on the way to being healed. The burnt skin on his chest was also now no more than a faint redness. Whatever The Master had done to him had hurt like nothing he had ever experienced, even in his most unpleasant death and yet he seemed to be unharmed.

The door swung back open and The Master returned this time accompanied by two burly guards who were half carrying, half dragging a blindfolded young man between them. The man's clothes were torn and his body showed evidence of having been beaten.

"Where am I?" he asked as the guards came to a stop a little way in front of The Doctor and pushed him to his knees. A thick fist buried itself in his gut and he doubled over coughing and gasping for air.

"Now then…" The Master was between the two kneeling men, he loved an audience and a captive one was even better. He turned to The Doctor.

"Do you remember what I told you would be the consequences of your failure to obey me?" he asked.

The Doctor said nothing and The Master took one step towards him, grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled his head painfully back. "I asked you a question" he hissed and still The Doctor remained defiantly silent. The Master bent closer and whispered in his ear "Your silence won't save him" he jerked his own head in the direction of the frightened man, "you must know that."

"Let me help you." The Doctor said as for a brief moment he thought he saw the horrors of the Untempered Schism reflected in The Master's hard cruel eyes.

"I don't need your help." He let go of The Doctor's hair. "Right... back to business." He waved a hand at one of the guards indicating that he should remove the captive man's blindfold.

The man blinked and squinted as his eyes adjusted to the light of the TARDIS. He glanced first at The Doctor but not knowing the face he turned to The Master.

"You're him! You're Harold Saxon."

"I don't choose to go by that name any more. You may call me The Master."

"Why am I here?" he asked a slight tremble in his voice.

"Why indeed." The Master turned to The Doctor, "Any ideas? No?" The Doctor knew that whoever this man was he was here so The Master could make a point, a point that would almost certainly end in his death.

"Tell him your name." The Master instructed the man.

"Milligan, … Sir…Tom Milligan." The Doctor cast around his memories and came up blank, he'd never heard of Tom Milligan and he certainly hadn't seen him before now.

"Well now Mr Milligan why don't you tell our friend over here what you do?"

Milligan looked at The Doctor "I am… I was… a doctor."

"See… see how clever that is Doctor.. he was a doctor and you.. you are The Doctor!"

"Very good," The Doctor said dryly "I'm sorry Tom…"

"The Doctor…" Tom had heard of The Doctor from Martha, he had heard the tales of what he had done and how he was humanity's last hope against the oppression of The Master and how, with just the mention of his name, they would be saved. He didn't see how that was possible. The Doctor was a prisoner just like he was, just like they all were, how could he help them?

"What Mr Milligan failed to tell you Doctor is that using the freedoms that I so generously gave him, he set about making a nuisance of himself. He started making contact with subversive groups and with the leaders of the so called rebellion. I do believe he even met the sainted Martha Jones."

Both men just failed to stop their reactions to Martha's name before The Master noticed. For The Doctor the relief at learning that Martha was still alive gave him fresh hope and for Tom it brought the sadness of knowing that he would never see her again, and he'd hoped that maybe they would have had time to get to know each other better.

"And because of that…because of that woman and whatever pathetic plans the two of you were hatching… I have to do this."

The Master flipped his screwdriver open and over the anguished cry of The Doctor fired it at the helpless Tom. At first he didn't do more than curse The Master but as the pain overtook him he cried and pleaded and eventually screamed until at last, after what seemed to The Doctor to be forever, he finally screamed no more and fell to the floor. His lifeless eyes stared accusingly at The Doctor as the blood that seeped from his eyes and ears pooled on the TARDIS floor.

"Why…why him?" The Doctor asked hardly able to keep the emotion from his voice, "I didn't know him…we'd never met."

"No you hadn't but he had met Miss Jones and if we'd been just a little quicker… and we will be next time.. it would have been her and not him lying there. He was close to somebody you care for and so… well he had to die because a threat is nothing unless you are prepared to execute it."

The Master looked down at the dead man with a contemptuous stare and waved at the guards to take him away.

"I trust you got the message Doctor."

"Yes…." The Doctor swallowed hard, "Master." He knew now that any chance, any hope he had held that he might have been able to reason or talk his way out of what The Master had planned for him was gone. He wouldn't, he couldn't let another human being die unnecessarily to save his pride or his feelings. He would do what The Master wanted and he would deal with his feelings later.

"Good… then lets' get on shall we?"

The Master raised his screwdriver and as The Doctor flinched in anticipation he could hardly suppress the amusement in his voice. "It isn't all about pain Doctor," he told him as he activated the screwdriver and slowly and carefully shredded The Doctor's clothes from his body until he was naked amongst the tattered remains of his suit. "It's about pleasure too, although personally I think that one is much better experienced with just a little of the other. If you get my meaning."

He put the screwdriver away and kicked his way through the remnants of clothing on the floor.

"I never did like that suit" he told The Doctor as he bent and with what seemed like just the wave of his hand undid the cuff that still secured The Doctor to the floor. "Now don't try anything I'd hate to have to really hurt you" and as if to emphasise his point a spinning silver Toclafane appeared as if from nowhere and floated just behind The Master, its vicious razor sharp blades already extended. "On your feet Doctor."

Slowly The Doctor got to his feet, doing his best to shake out the pins and needles of returning circulation in his legs and hand. The Master quickly tired of what he perceived as The Doctor's time wasting tactics and shoved him hard and unexpectedly in the chest, pushing him back against the harsh chain link wall that surrounded the central column of the TARDIS. The Master didn't bother with words as he grabbed each of The Doctor's

wrists in turn, hauled his arms above his head and secured them tightly in solid metal cuffs that hung from a support secured high enough in the grille to ensure that The Doctor was left straining to keep his feet on the floor.

The Toclafane behind The Master buzzed with threatening anticipation daring The Doctor to try something…anything…only to be waved away by its Master once he was happy that his prisoner was once more secured and helpless.

The Master ran the back of his hand gently along the side of The Doctor's face and as The Doctor tried to pull away from the unwanted touch, The Master gripped him by the jaw and forced him to stillness.

"Now, now Doctor, that's no way to behave after all you know what happens if you disobey me, or do you need another reminder?"

"No." The Doctor said hurriedly.

"Then apologise for your behaviour, and tell me you'll behave from now on."

The Doctor glanced to where the blood of an innocent man still stained the TARDIS floor. He swallowed down his anger and his fear, "I'm sorry Master, it won't happen again."

"That's better." The Master cooed once more stroking The Doctor's face, this time The Doctor didn't fight his touch, even though it still repulsed him. He took a handful of The Doctor's hair and pulled his head back baring his neck which he then kissed with a possessive violence that would leave The Doctor to carry his mark for days to come.

The Doctor stood rigid under the assault from The Master, sending his mind away to another place, telling himself over and over again that he had no choice, picturing the sightless eyes of Tom Milligan staring at him, imagining the screams he had heard came from Martha and wishing it would all be over….soon.

The Master broke away from The Doctor's body and seeing the reddened skin giggled like a young boy.

"Seems I've given you something to remember me by Doctor, I doubt anybody has ever done that to you before." He traced the outline with his fingers, fancying that he could make out the marks of his teeth in the darkening bruise. "What do you say?"

"Thank you?"

A sudden flash of anger replaced the humour on The Master's face and within seconds The Doctor was writhing in agony as The Master pulled his laser screwdriver free and blasted the naked man, holding the beam just long enough for The Doctor to feel the pain in every molecule of his body.

"Again….what do you say?"

The trembling in The Doctor's body made the chains on his wrists rattle against the metal wall as in a shaky voice he answered.

"Thank you Master," the whole connotation of this use of his adversaries name was not lost on either of them.

"You're welcome" The Master said as he arrogantly turned his back on The Doctor, taking off his suit jacket and laying it carefully to one side. He then loosened his tie and undid his top button before turning slowly back to savour the sight of his oldest adversary, naked, shackled and with the slightest hint of fear in his eyes.

The sight was intoxicating to his senses and he could feel the blood pounding in his veins, he had waited for this for so many years, his final victory, his final humiliation of The Doctor. He licked at his suddenly dry lips and then allowed the sound of the drums to dictate his actions once more as he swept in and captured The Doctor's lips in a brutal kiss.

The Doctor saw the madness in his old friend's eyes as he swooped in and had just enough time to remind himself not to resist, not to fight back before his felt The Master's lips on his own. The kiss was hard, brutal, invading, as The Master forced his domination onto The Doctor. One hand curled and grasped in The Doctor's already unruly hair, sometimes clenching tight enough to make The Doctor wince and The Master moan through the, as yet, unbroken kiss. His other hand traced light strokes down The Doctor's sides, feather light touches that made The Doctor tense. The Master could feel the effort The Doctor was making not to pull away from him as he eventually broke the kiss.

The two men stared at each other in a silence that spoke volumes. The Master ran his tongue across his lips as if to savour the last taste of The Doctor and then ran his thumb slowly over The Doctor's swollen lips. He was suddenly aware that he was achingly hard and alive with a need that he hadn't felt for far too long.

"Doctor" he hadn't actually realised he had spoken out loud although it had been little more than a whisper, "My Doctor". He pressed his body close to The Doctor's, close enough for the other man to feel the hardness of his erection even through the smooth material of the suit that he still wore. The shudder of what The Master assumed was revulsion or horror or maybe even, although he doubted it, pleasure that rippled through The Doctor excited him.

The Doctor dug deep into his own mind and found a mental barrier that he hoped would help to hold him together. Self control had never been something that he had found easy but the lessons they had tried to instil in him all those years ago at The Academy were still buried in his subconscious. Admittedly they weren't designed for situations like the one that The Doctor now found himself in but they were all he had. He broke The Master's gaze and closed his eyes, willing his mind and body to follow the ancient teachings, trying not to let the horror of what he knew was still to come break into his thoughts.

A sharp point of pain right on his nipple as The Master bit down suddenly on the raised nub of flesh almost made The Doctor falter before he had started as his eyes flew open in pained surprise and his concentration wavered with the grunt that spilled from his lips.

"What are you doing?" The Master asked as he twisted The Doctor's nipple viciously between his fingertips. "Trying to hide from me?" Another twist and another gasp from The Doctor. "You should know that you can't hide from me Doctor… I know you…let me in…let me see…"

The Master moved with a swift assuredness that caught The Doctor by surprise placing his hands at The Doctor's temples and running mentally headlong into The Doctors' carefully ordered thoughts.

The psychic intrusion was almost as painful as the earlier physical pain had been, a Time Lord's mind was his strongest weapon, his most sacred place and for The Doctor to have another mind inside his own, especially when it was an unwanted intruder like The Master, was a violation that shook him to his core.

The Doctor tried to regain control, pushing back at the Master with his own mind but all he found was a wave of sound….the sound of drums…they held back all his attempts to get into The Master's mind filling the few empty spaces in his own mind with a roaring demand, a call to madness that he knew must occupy The Master's head every second of every day. He could feel their enticing pull at the edges of his mind and just for a fleeting moment he wanted to give into their demands, to follow the path to madness because in madness there would also be peace.

Then he saw Martha's tear stained face and heard her promise to him as he sent her from the hell of The Valiant to a bigger hell on Earth. He heard the screaming and pleading of 6 billion souls as The Master tore their world apart. He saw the death of an innocent man right in front of him and knew that the path to madness would only bring about his death and dead he couldn't help any of them.

So he stopped fighting The Master and allowed him to see just what he wanted him too… he let him see his fear, his despair, his acceptance of his fate. The Doctor created a smokescreen for The Master that kept his real intentions hidden but allowed The Master to believe that The Doctor was a broken man.

The Master didn't entirely believe what he found in The Doctor's mind, the lack of hope and loss of faith didn't seem quite right to him, The Doctor was never without one or the other no matter how desperate the situation.

The Master pulled back but didn't break his hold, he saw the same things in The Doctor's eyes when he couldn't hold his Master's gaze, and thought that either The Doctor was a better actor than he imagined or he had given up. Part of The Master hoped it was an act because, despite all his rants and protestations and attempts to kill The Doctor, he wasn't sure that a Universe where he didn't have an equal, a rival to challenge him, was worth living in.

He broke his hold, leaving The Doctor breathless and still with the sound of drums in his mind, underscoring The Master's message of triumph.

"I win then Doctor. I get everything I want, just like that" His voice was heavy with his lust and as he reached for his tie, loosening it enough to pull over his head without undoing the knot, his hands were shaking with anticipation. He put the black silk tie around The Doctor's neck, tightened it to a point that was well beyond comfortable for The Doctor and bunched the loose end up into his hand. He twisted his hand round and round further tightening the pressure on his fellow Time Lords' throat watching as The Doctor, his hands held effectively above him by the chains that secured him, unable to free himself struggled in vain for breath.

"Tell me I win, I want to hear you say it."

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, precious air rushed out as he tried to form the words, leaving him only capable of a wheezing whispered sound that couldn't be described as speech.

"Speak up Doctor I didn't quite hear that" The Master crowed.

"You…win," The Doctor's forced the words out against the onrushing tide of blackness that was sweeping towards him, "please…stop…Master…please." The effort of speaking pushed The Doctor to the very brink of unconsciousness. The Master saw the dullness in The Doctor's eyes and let go of the end of the tie he had around his hand, although he didn't undo the tie itself, The Doctor was no good to him if he wasn't awake to 'enjoy' his victory.

The Doctor gasped and gulped pulling precious air into his lungs past a throat that was sore and bruised. The tie was still uncomfortably tight but at least he could now just about breathe. "Thank you," he added meaningfully.

The Master was giddy, almost euphoric, basking in The Doctor's admission that he was THE MASTER. He had thought that he had everything before, power, money and the world at his feet but The Doctor's admission that he had beaten him was better than all of those things combined. For centuries they had fought, good and evil, right and wrong, friends and now enemies and it had all come down to this one moment, in this one place and it was perfect.. well it would be perfect when he had finished with The Doctor.

"I win…" he purred into The Doctor's ear, "and you know what that means don't you?"

"What?"

Swiftly The Master grabbed the recently discarded end of the tie and pulled sharply, briefly strangling The Doctor once again. It wasn't as serious as before but was a potent reminder of where, for now, the balance of power lay.

"It means that I get what I want," he nibbled The Doctor's earlobe and felt him tense under his touch, felt him struggling in his mind for reasons and answers and the passion inside him rose like a living thing and consumed him. He had to have The Doctor…now.

"Do you know what I'm going to do now?" he asked as he alternately kissed and bit down The Doctor's neck and shoulder, one hand stroking his hard cock through the fabric of his suit whilst the other he placed on The Doctor's chest, unnecessarily holding him still in another expression of his dominance. "I'm going to fuck you so long and hard that the only thing you'll remember is my name."

The Doctor, despite his best efforts, gave a strangled cry of disgust at The Master's words. He hadn't been under any illusion as to what was going to happen to him after the first time The Master had kissed him but to actually have those fears crystallised into words brought the realisation crashing home. A kaleidoscope of images played through his mind…Rose, Jabe, the Controller on the Game Station, Adric, Sir Robert and too many others throughout his long life that had given their lives for him and for what he believed in…. and he knew that he could stand whatever The Master did to him because of them and their sacrifice.

The Master got his power through fear, intimidation and coercion, The Doctor got his through hope, belief and above all love and because of that, although the Master might have thought that he had won… he hadn't and he never could.

"All talk and no action" The Doctor goaded. He might be ready to accept his fate but that didn't mean he wanted it to last any longer than it had to. He was already more than aware of the feel of The Master's lips on his body, the painful scoring of his nails down the still sore flesh on his chest and the hand that tried to coax his cock into life.

"You want action Doctor," a growling gravely voice full of lust, "you've got it." And hands that spun him swiftly around pressing his body against the wire frame so hard that it left an impression on his skin that would take hours to fade. The Master liked the irony of fucking The Doctor here in what was once his TARDIS, the heart of which he had ripped out and turned to his own uses just like he would do to The Doctor.

At another time The Master might have taken the time to admire The Doctor's body but now he just wanted to possess it, to mark it, to take it. He scored a line down The Doctor's back with his nails watching the pale flesh rise in a red welt that faded too quickly for his liking. He made a brief mental note to find something that would leave a more permanent mark for the next time.

The Doctor tried not to flinch when he felt The Master's hand rest on the curve of flesh just above his ass, he gripped the chains that held him feeling the harsh edges of the cuffs digging into his wrists when he felt The Master's hand sliding down the cheeks of his ass and he gasped with surprise when he felt the burning heat of The Master's hand as he unexpectedly landed a stinging smack to his backside. He wasn't certain but he thought he heard The Master purring.

The Master _was_ purring, deep and low in the back of his throat as he watched the red handprint on The Doctor's ass flare and then die away, flare and then die away, as he repeatedly let his hand fall time and again against the same part of the once pale and now steadily reddening flesh. He could feel dampness against his belly and his thighs as his own cock wept pre cum, twitching and throbbing with his anticipation at every sound The Doctor made, at every feeble, helpless attempt he made to try and avoid the inevitable.

He stopped spanking The Doctor and bent to place a surprisingly gentle kiss on the tender reddened skin. Quickly and with an economy of movement, he pulled his pants down (The Master didn't bother with trivia such as underwear) freeing his impressive erection. One hand held The Doctor firmly in-between his shoulders, pressing him harder against the metal and forcing him to have to turn his head to the side. The Master knew that this now meant that The Doctor could see most of what was being done to him and he liked that, he liked the thought of being able to see the look on The Doctors face when he finally came inside him.

"Ready Doctor?" has asked mischievously as he kicked his captive's legs a little further apart and without any warning or preparation forced a long dry finger into the Doctor.

The Doctor could see what was about to happen to him and still he was unprepared for the sharp burning pain that accompanied the violation by the Master's fingers. He eyes widened briefly before he squeezed them shut and clamped his jaws together to stop himself from crying out. His body jerked in reaction to the unwanted intrusion, trying to pull away, but between the chains that bound him and the weight of The Master's hand at his back it was little more than a feeble effort.

The Doctor was even tighter than The Master had expected and he growled with a pleasure that words could not describe as he felt The Doctor's tightness around his fingers as he twisted them deep and long inside him, finding the place that would equate to a human prostate gland and crooking the end of his finger against it. Just like a human the reaction in a Time Lord was the same – and The Doctor gasped with unwanted pleasure before he had a chance to think.

"Bastard." The word spilled from The Doctor as he felt the flash of gratification course through him. It was a natural reaction to what The Master was doing to him, a reaction no one had made him feel for so many long, lonely years and just for the briefest moment of time The Doctor wanted it, wanted the feel of another Time Lord. Then he saw, once again, the madness in his old friends eyes, the lost, haunted look of a man who will never know when to stop, and The Doctor knew that to save him, he had to fight him, because if he didn't fight him, he would end up the same and then all those people who meant so much to him would be lost. He willed away the pleasure by making subtle changes to his internal body chemistry, he knew that later when his body returned to normal again he would suffer for what he was doing now but without it there would be no later.

"That won't stop me," The Master told him as he realised what The Doctor had done.

"I didn't think it would." The Doctor's voice still had a rasping edge to it from the continued pressure of the tie around his throat and it was a struggle for him to speak for long. "So just do it."

"Such impatience Doctor, anybody would think you didn't want this."

"I don't."

"But I do…I really, really do." The Master growled as he finally withdrew his fingers from The Doctor smiling at the way his captive betrayed his relief with a sigh.

The Doctor's relief was short lived, unlike the pain that accompanied The Master's next actions.

The brutal, unwanted invasion of his body hurt far worse than he had expected. The cruel vicious taunts as The Master told him what he was going to do to him…in very explicit detail…made his blood run cold.

He looked for solace in his mind, in the knowledge that he had no choice, but he didn't find it, all he found was The Master's cruel gloating laughter and the rising sound of drums.

The Master was cruel, uncaring, unfeeling taking a sadistic satisfaction in knowing that his brutal rape of The Doctor was damaging not just his body but his mind too. Every grunt of pain that escaped The Doctor's lips spurred him to yet further acts of cruelty against The Doctor's body, until blood seeped down the pale bruised flesh, blood that he lapped at like it was the sweetest wine. Every half strangled plea for him to stop fell on deaf ears as he rewarded The Doctor's impudence with a combination of punishing thrusts that left both The Doctor's mind and body more violated than even The Master could have hoped for.

For The Doctor the physical pain was something he could handle…just. Although his body burnt with short sharp bursts of agony that matched The Master's actions inside him, he knew that once it was all over he would heal…the scars, the blood and the bruises would all fade away. It was the invasion of his mind…the raping of his thoughts and memories that scared him, scared him because he didn't know if he could ever recover from having The Master inside his head…The Master with his never ending drums now seemed to be all that he could think about.

"Master…" he struggled for the words, "please….stop." He failed to stop a tear from falling, streaking his face as he stared into the darkly wild and passionate eyes of The Master.

"Why…why should…why would I want to stop? This is perfect Doctor, just perfect" and to emphasise his point he grasped the tie around The Doctor's neck pulled back hard and thrust deeply at the same time. The Doctor didn't have the breath in his lungs to voice the scream of agony that tried to force its way past his lips, all he could manage was a whimper and another tear.

The Master knew now that it wouldn't be long before he couldn't hold back any longer, he grasped at the harsh metal grille looking for the purchase that would enable him to find that one last thrust that would complete him. He forced The Doctor harder against the grille, pounding relentlessly into him, his pace and rhythm dictated by the throbbing beat of the drums in his head. They drove every thought from his head except for one…The Doctor was his….The Doctor was his…..The Doctor was his….

With a sudden and unexpected howl of delight The Master came, buried deeper into The Doctor's mind and body than before. He could feel all of The Doctor's pain, all of his anger and anguish, all of his self loathing for the acts of the Time War, everything, nothing was hidden from him. He had told The Doctor that he had won, that he had everything he wanted and in that one moment of physical release he knew that it was true.

The Master fell against The Doctor letting him support both their weights, feeling his powerful frantic double heartbeats resonating inside his chest, listening to his shallow, ragged breathing, his body feeling more alive than it had done for many regenerations.

He could feel The Doctor's body shaking beneath him and taste the sweat that slicked his skin as he lay against him, his victory complete.

The weight of The Master against The Doctor's back strained his body further as he attempted to hold them both, his legs were like rubber and he could feel the cool trickle of blood down his arms from where the cuffs and chains that held him cut into his skin and he focused on that. It was something real, something tangible in a world that was otherwise a nightmare. He tried to gather his thoughts to push away the sound of drums and remember why he had allowed this to happen but everything _HURT_... and the effort was just too much. All he could do was choke back a sob and wait and after what seemed to be forever he felt the weight of The Master lifting from his abused body as his tormentor stirred behind him.

The Master was perfectly back in control again, although he would argue that despite what he had said and done to The Doctor he had never lost control. He allowed the last flush of passion to pass and pushed back just far enough to see himself still deeply sheathed in The Doctor's ass. He ran a slightly shaky hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

"I think that concludes your lesson Doctor," he crowed as with a sudden and unnecessary viciousness he pulled himself free of The Doctor, his jubilation further enhanced as The Doctor slumped barely conscious in his chains, blood and semen staining his pale flesh.

He took a long hard look at the helpless form before him.

"Don't you have anything to say to me?" he asked as eventually The Doctor's eyes flickered open.

"You can't win." The Doctor's voice was still cracked and hoarse.

"Look around you Doctor…" he waved an expansive arm to encompass the TARDIS and The Doctor, "I beg to differ…"

The Doctor wasn't mentally or physically ready to spar with The Master yet, the damage inflicted on him would take time to heal. He needed to be alone, to get away from the TARDIS and all the memories it held for him now, he needed time to be The Doctor again… if he could.

"If you say so."

"Why Doctor, giving in so easily, that's not like you. I'd expected something a little more...Doctor like."

The Doctor forced himself upright and twisted in his chains so that he faced The Master, eye to eye instead of looking back over his shoulder. It made him feel slightly less of a victim to be facing the man he had once called friend, something that no matter how much he had once wished to be able to return to, he now knew they could never be again.

Never. Ever.

"What do you expect from me?" he asked wearily as a rush of chemicals through his already abused body left him feeling nauseous. "Haven't you got what you wanted?"

"For now." The Master acquiesced as he started to dress himself, "but don't think this is the end because for every day you continue to defy me, for every day you dare to believe in Martha Jones and your stupid, ill-conceived plan to do whatever it is you think will stop me I will consider it an act of treason against me and I will punish it… I will punish you."

The Master was dressed now and had turned away from The Doctor as he made ready to leave the TARDIS, then he stopped and turned back. The Doctor looked tired and yet The Master still saw the defiance in his eyes, the way he held his gaze, never wavering even as his body threatened to fail him.

"You can keep the tie as a present" he said smiling, "call it a reminder of what happened here." He reached into his jacket and drew out his laser screwdriver. "Don't ever take it off Doctor otherwise…" he left the threat hanging but obvious as he pointed the screwdriver in The Doctor's direction.

The Doctor didn't know how long he could continue to keep up the façade of defiance he was letting The Master see, every minute seemed to last an eternity and in each eternity his body protested more and more. He almost wished that The Master would blast him with the screwdriver just so that he could be free from the pain even for a short while, just so that he could stop having to listen to the faint sound of drums that now occupied his mind.

"I won't stop trying to save you and I won't ever stop believing in them." he told The Master with conviction.

"Then I expect we will be seeing a lot more of each other Doctor."

The Doctor got his wish as The Master flipped open the screwdriver and blasted him into unconsciousness before he turned on his heel and strode meaningfully from the TARDIS.

"A lot more…"


End file.
